Chapter 5: Mutual Woes

{A/N: Here's another update...sorry it took so long...}

My Thanks To My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.

The Basement, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World...

Vomiting had been about the only thing Severus Snape's stomach could manage as he attempted to salvage what little dignity he had left before his apparent illness took over. The Potions Professor's knees buckled and he nearly lost his footing as he made his way down the narrow steps into his make-shift bedroom below Black Manor. He had narrowly avoided having to eat that Merlin awful gruel that Molly Weasley tried to poison him with, of course Dumbledore couldn't resist adding his lemon drops to the bowl. The Potion's Master rolled his eyes as he made his way to the bed. The aches still running rampant thorough out his body.

His rather stiff movements only served to increase his agony as he finally managed to lie back with his weary eyes meeting the ceiling. He had already been given enough to deal with in terms of saving Potter from his own innate stupidity and proving himself to his former death eater brethren whom never accepted him to begin with due to his blood status.

Now he had the added stress of his impending marriage to an underage witch, who would be coming of age in a matter of months effectively cutting down his apparent "freedom". It made his blood boil recalling how he had been given no real choice in this.

It didn't seem to matter to the old bastard Dumbledore that he had been celibate for years following the death of Lily Potter. The Potions Master had been so focused on his work that he had not even bothered speaking to any woman let alone a witch in any fashion other than professional courtesy.

"Bloody sod." muttered Snape angrily.

He knew all too well what marriage to a young student would mean for him. He had been humiliated and persecuted enough. Now he had an amber eyed insufferable know it all to add to his worries. Sadly, he had known that Dumbledore had a point in choosing him to look after the young witch, but being her husband meant that due to the Ministry of Magic's expressed control over the situation, he would have to bed her to make it seem real.

Bedding a witch, especially one he had known since she was a child wasn't on the embittered wizard's agenda. Lily dying had taken quite a bit out of him. The hollowed shell that remained was only interested in completing his original agenda, righting the wrongs committed by him when he was a mere 21 year old fool.

The Potions Master sighed coming to a conclusion about his impending fate. It seemed that no matter what he did he would always be seen as a monster in one form or another.

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The Sitting Room, 12 Grimmauld Place, Muggles World...

Laughter filled the sitting room as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger engaged in meaningless conversation pertaining to youth and a whimsical future. It seemed so easy to just get lost in the bliss of her friend's presence and ignore the impending truth about her forced marriage to their Potions Professor.

Briefly Hermione thought about how each of them would react to such scandalous knowledge. Harry hated Snape with every fiber of his being and Ron of course was no better. It wasn't long before the young witch found herself obsessing over what would happen if most of the people currently inhibiting Black Manor knew about her impending nuptials to Snape.

"Mione?" said the voice of Harry Potter.

The amber eyed witch met those familiar emerald orbs of her best friend since the day they met on The Hogwarts Express during first year.

"W-What?" asked Hermione completely caught off guard.

"I asked what was bothering you." said Harry eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'm fine...Harry." She replied a bit too quickly to avoid further inquiry pertaining to her strange behavior.

"You don't look fine Mione." pressed Harry. "You didn't eat anything this morning and you seem to be getting lost in your own thoughts more often than usual...and there is no test to study for."

Before Hermione could say something Ron interjected...

"Oh come on Harry, Mione can get herself worked up over a bloody old textbook." He said taken by his own brand of humor.

"Shut it Ron!" said the green eyed wizard and amber eyed witch in unison.

For his part, the well scolded Weasley boy lowered his head and made it a point to fiddle with his fingers. It wasn't the first time he had placed his foot firmly into his mouth.

Hermione turned her attention back to Harry.

"I'm fine, stop worrying." She said rather confident in her and Dumbledore's plan for her future. "I'll have you know, I've already had my breakfast."

"Well, good then." said Harry not at all wishing to drop the subject completely.

Hermione sighed knowing all too well that they were at a stalemate in terms of what to do about her refusal to acknowledge that she had a problem, more than that...She had a problem that she didn't wish to be assisted with by her own friends.

After a few moments more Hermione found herself growing increasingly weary of her best friend's probing glare and excused herself from his presence. The situation pertaining to her future was not something she wished to discuss no matter how much Harry Potter insisted on knowing about it.

"You're going to have to talk to me sometime." Harry called as Hermione continued on her way out.

The amber eyed witch couldn't help but roll her eyes. If Harry James Potter can close himself off when faced with heavy emotional strain then so could she.

It wasn't as if she had been ashamed of her impending nuptials to their Potions Professor, it was merely the fact that she was to wed in the first place. Forced marriage to a man she hardly knew was never something she dreamed of as a little girl. Of course she had dreamed she was marrying handsome Prince like in the muggles fairytales she read so often.

Not a cantankerous Slytherin Potions Master, of course unbeknownst to her...She was going to get her Prince.